


Alone

by AngelynMoon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:47:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26695489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelynMoon/pseuds/AngelynMoon
Summary: What if the Unsnapped had come just a few moments later than they did.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	Alone

**Author's Note:**

> As always let me know for tags and if you can think of a better title I'd like to hear it because I was kind of at a loss here.

He can't help but stare. He's seen many things in his time but this is a first.

Thanos watches the man in blue, red and, white approach, his main weapon, a shield is broken and yet he does not drop it, he adjusts his hold on it as if he intends to keep using it, it is ultimately a useless weapon, the shield, and Thanos intends to prove such to the man.

The Hammer is a greater weapon in his opinion, the Axe he had used against the Godling more so but Thanos had cast the Godling from him.

Thanos smirks, there is no way this man can win, he stands alone against Thanos' entire army.

And yet, something about this man intrigues him.

He stands alone but he does not shake, there is no fear in him.

Never has Thanos encountered such, everyone had been fearful when faced with his armies, even those that had had others to stand with them, but not this man, this man with a shattered shield and a Hammer.

For a brief moment Thanos thinks about ending this the easy way, thinks about ordering his army forward and watching this one man fall under his multitudes.

It'd be inevitable for the man to fall, for him to die under the blade of one of his soldiers.

And yet...

The man pauses before him calmly, eyes set, knowing that he cannot win, that there is nothing waiting for him but surrender or Death.

Thanos expects the surrender as all other leaders had when they faced such odds.

But this man does not cast his shield down at his feet, does not offer the handle to his Hammer.

Instead the man raises his chin high and looks Thanos in the eyes.

And Thanos knows, he knows that the only way this man will surrender is in death.

Thanos tips his head slightly and shifts himself into a ready position.

If this man wants to meet death then Thanos will grant him his final wish.

Thanos waits for a moment, expecting the man to strike first but grows impatient with waiting and lunges at the man, his blade meeting the shield with a loud, echoing clang.

\---

They knew they what they would find when they exited the portals, they had expected to find an army waiting for them.

What they did not expect was the sight of one man fighting against Thanos, knocking back a few soldiers that attempted to attack from behind.

They had expected the sight of a few of those they had fought with fighting side by side but not this, never this.

Bucky felt his breath catch when he saw the scene, he knew that man, that idiot fighting an army alone, that was his idiot.

They couldn't help their stunned pause before they heard Stark echoing through their comms.

"Well, don't just stand there, we got to help him." Stark said as he flew over, his suit a bit worse for wear with Thor beside him.

Bucky set his shoulders and nodded, "Avengers Assemble."

Stark looked at him and snorted, "Let's go."

And with their battle cries announcing their arrival they rushed forward, meeting the army that turned their attentions to them rather than Steve and Thanos.

\---

Thanos looked up as he heard the yells, eyes falling to the newly arrived army.

The man didn't flinch, didn't look to see who it was, only knocked Thanos back with a swing of the Hammer, making him stumble.

Thanos shook himself, he should not have let himself be distracted, it could cost him his life.

The man was good, strong, dangerous. Thanos might have offered him a place in his army once. Men willing to die for causes were hard to find.

Thanos wondered what this man was so willing to die for.

Thanos watched and waited for the right moment, he could hear shouts about the Gauntlet flying over the battlefield but the man was ignoring them, focused on him, focused on keeping him here, with his attention on this fight.

So, that's what he was doing.

Thanos let himself smile internally, if this man was willing to die in order to keep him from the Gauntlet then Thanos would let him die knowing he failed.

Thanos moved right as the man did, swinging the Hammer up to strike and Thanos lunged forward to sheath his blade into the man's chest.

The man stumbled back with a cough, blade slipping from his chest red with his blood, hand coming to grip the wound, finally releasing his useless shield.

He looked at Thanos, he looked almost surprised and Thanos grinned at him.

"I am inevitable." Thanos said, intending on saying more, intending on watching this man die as he took the Gauntlet in hand and letting him die as all around him turned to dust and ash.

Except there was a Hammer slamming into his face and Thanos fell to the ground in surprise at the sudden blow.

"I can do this all day, asshole." The man growled out as he shifted his injured side away, as he adjusted his grip on the Hammer and readied himself for their fight to continue.

Thanos can't help but stare, this man, this man who had stood alone against his army with no knowledge of his own coming, this man who would die so that these people could live.

Thanos has never seen his like and he somehow knows that he never will again, men like him are one of a kind, it's a shame that he will die here.

Thanos grips his blade and stands, meeting the man's Hammer and knocking the blow aside.

The man stumbles, manages to turn around to meet his next blow and falls to his knees, trying to rise to his feet when Thanos sets his blade against his neck and pushing him down to his knees again.

"You haven't saved them." Thanos told him as the man stared up at him, face determined, eyes unafraid.

Such a pity he has to kill him, Thanos thinks as he raises his blade to strike the blow that will sever this man's head from his shoulders, he knows now that there is no other way this man will stop, that he might even stand against him with his last ounce of strength and life rather than wait for death to claim him laying down.

Thanos brings his blade down and thinks that it is such a pity this man won't see him win.

\---

Steve flinches when Thanos' blade falls to the ground with a clatter, he can't help it because he'd been expecting death if he was being honest.

He opens his eyes, not entirely sure when he'd closed them and sees that Thanos is gone along with his army.

"Nice distraction, Cap." Tony shouts with a grin, he's leaning heavily on Pepper with the Spider-kid on his other side.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Steve shouts back, swallowing the blood it brings to his mouth, "You think we could find a Shwarma place that's open?"

Tony snorts out a laugh, "Maybe they'll deliver, come on."

Steve wants to, but he feels tired, his side hurts and he's not sure he can actually stand up on his own.

Hands curl around his arm, the one not holding his side and Steve looks up at Sam and then there are arms wrapping around his waist and hefting him up with Sam.

"First thing though is the doctor's." Bucky said.

"Come on, Buck, it's not that bad." Steve tried.

Bucky gave him a look and then let him go, making him stumble into Sam, Bucky's returning grip the only reason they didn't hit the ground.

"You were saying?" Bucky asked rhetorically.

"Doctor's first." Steve muttered.

"That's right." Bucky said as he shifted his grip and lifted him up into a bridal carry, Steve's free hand going to Bucky's shoulder for balance at the sudden shift.

"You know Strange is a Doctor." Tony said, hiding a grin at Steve's predicament, "Come on, Party at mine."

Steve laughed a little, it felt like old times, maybe a bit different but familiar.

Steve leaned against Bucky's shoulder as they walked through a portal to Tony's little house in the woods, some of the others making camp around the house as injured were brought inside to be looked over, Pepper demanding quiet because their daughter was asleep and Steve couldn't help falling asleep against Bucky as someone began to gently stich his injury with soft hands and carful pulls.

It felt like he'd finally come home.

\---

A/n: so this is a result of me wondering what might have happened if the Unsnapped had come just a few minutes later and Steve actually tried to fight Thanos' army alone (we all know he would).

And Thanos has some honer code so he orders his soldiers to let him fight Steve alone but they still try to distract Steve and Tony uses the fact that Thanos is focused on Steve to get the Gauntlet and Snap the Titan and his army away.

More importantly Tony doesn't die and Steve and him talk and air out their dirty laundry and agree that their fight was silly and restart the Avengers but more as mentors that fighters. Steve semi-retires with Bucky and Sam is the new Captain America.

Also pretty sure that Steve lost his Comm at one point which is why he doesn't turn to the Avengers that appear.

I know Steve is the one that says Avengers Assemble in the movie but since he's Busy Bucky does it because they to halves of a whole.


End file.
